Some of the ways I celebrated my 50th...

A girls weekend in Edinburgh in May 2008...

...A 'themed' party on my birthday in June 2008...

... A holiday in Sao Miguel in the Azores in September 2008...

...where I swam with wild dolphins, a life-long ambition (thank you, Steve!)

About time...

...I posted again, although who can still be bothered to read my semi-senile soliloquies is anybody's guess. It's about time I re-wrote my profile too as time spent 'surfing, blogging, texting, emailing' has completely gorn for a burton - unless you count mulitudinous (and tedious) work related mail.

So what has happened since July? - Well most signifcant stuff has been:

Major refurbishment works starting on the house - new room in roof, new central heating, complete re-wiring, new kitchen, new bathroom. We lived with builders for over 3 months, any pretence of glamour on my part being completely undermined by Pete, Dud (Pete and Dud! I kid you not!) Adam, Robin and Doug witnessing my sticky-up hair, mascara-smeared eyes and skanky PJ's every morning. Builders are now gone but there is still decorating the ENTIRE house to complete, which my long-suffering S.O. has to fit in at evenings and weekends. We've got a long way to go and it gets us down, to be honest - the garden has been completely neglected and we are still very much camping out - with our stuff (who knew we had so much STUFF) bleedin' everywhere. STILL...I'm sure it will look splendid when its finished, just before we put it on the market!

Changing my job in August (I am now 'Access Manager (Technical) rather than part-time 'Disability Support Officer' 3 days a week) which I'm still coming to grips with, very full-on but v. interesting starting and culminating each day with frantic 1 hour drive to and from the office in my cute Smartarse at breakneck speed - its mad! Now I aint exactly a slowcoach these days but a lot of drivers seem to take exception to being overtaken by (or left at the lights, or even just being behind) me and Cherry, so I usually end up having to compensate for their small-dickness.

Holidaying in Provence on a hired 750 Triumph Bonneville in September (S.O.'s 50th birthday present from yours truly...a fabulous time was had, apart from EasyJet losing my luggage - including my crash helmet - ON THE WAY OUT - and no, it has never been returned!) Will try and post some pics some time.

...and that's pretty much it, apart from the usual social stuff which is same-old same-old (apart from more sober these days as I'm usually driving) and not worth boring you with...eh!

Sometimes it's Paris...

...and sometimes a 'girly' weekend involves travelling to Llangollen in Wales (one of my favourite places) and staying in a local pub with...

... this view, and drinking copious amounts of vino collapso at a restaurant with...

...this view, the night before putting on...

...these stylish and supremely flattering outfits to go gorge walking for an entire (exhausting but exhilarating) day in Snowdonia, one of the most beautiful places in the UK, if not the whole world!

Edit

I feel duty bound to inform you that 40th weekend in Paris was not for me alas, although I DID have a birthday in June, its been (gulp) 9 years since I was that age! (Yup, it's the big five-ohmigod next year!)

Another 40th birthday weekend (May 2007)...

...Here..

...where this lot went to...

...(hmmm!)...

...at the Moulin Rouge

...and also to see some dead people (Jim Morrison for one) at Pere Lachaise

to be continued...

You reckon???

Stolen from APJ's blog

The Keys to Your Heart

You are attracted to those who have a split personality - cold as ice on the outside but hot as fire in the heart.

Well I'm a Gemini and we're supposed to have 'split personalities' and apparently can get bored with most other signs - as lovers - and yes the S.O. is another Gemini (not that I knew that when I first met him I was just attracted to the layer of permafrost! :)

In love, you feel the most alive when your lover is creative and never lets you feel bored.

See Above

You'd like to your lover to think you are stylish and alluring.

Oyyy! I AM stylish and alluring!

You would be forced to break up with someone who was emotional, moody, and difficult to please.

Oh please! Who ISN'T 'emotional, moody and difficult' sometimes...keeps you, and them! on your toes!

Your ideal relationship is lasting. You want a relationship that looks to the future... one you can grow with.

Absofuckinglutely. 27 years so far, and many more to come...I hope!

Your risk of cheating is zero. You care about society and morality. You would never break a commitment.

Well so far so good, but 'zero' is a pretty unrelenting number! As for breaking a commitment...I'm currently feeling a tad guilty about ducking out of a surprise party at the last minute!

You think of marriage something you've always wanted... though you haven't really thought about it.

Even as a little girl I never dreamed of 'marriage' in the traditional sense. Have always wanted to find my soul-mate, my immortal beloved. Finding that person was the important thing. Marrying him seemed (and has proved, thus far) uneccesary!

In this moment, you think of love as something you can get or discard anytime. You're feeling self centered.

Complete and utter poppycock.

What Are The Keys To Your Heart?

Waterfalls

At last, I have all my post editing buttons back! (having first downloaded Gorillaz Fireybox, or whatever its called) So pics of a girls weekend in the Brecon Beacons in South Wales can finally be displayed.

Now although I love spending time communing with nature, I'm not usually one for pushing myself physically these days. However, confronted with the tour de force that is new chum M (pictured below) the concept of driving as close as possible to the nearest beauty spot, a gentle stroll, followed by a spot of lunch and possibly a bit of retail therapy was dead in the water.

SO after an entertaining evening in the pub (half-mile walk in torrential rain) and an appalling nights sleep in our spartan 4-bunk room at the local Youth Hostel we were up at 7.30 for breakfast, and had driven through the mountains to our 'start point' by 9 a.m.

What followed was a 6-and-half-hour tough, muddy, slippy, scrambly, scary, exhilarating and stunningly beautiful circular walk through the waterfall area of the National Park. MOSTLY IN SUNSHINE too! Wales is notorious for being reliably wet throughout the year, but one upside of this are the beautiful waterfalls and rivers, some of which are pictured below.

M in front of a waterfall which we subsequently...
...walked behind! (That's S2, me and S in the photo, all with big grins on our faces!)
Another waterfall...
And another...
...S2, me and S modelling the latest thing in hill-walking couture... (not)